Writers Wayside

For years, I’ve struggled with keeping track of my notes. I take them in college-ruled notebooks thick and thin, day planners, scraps of paper, backs of envelopes, and most recently, I’ve made a point of taking all my travel writing related notes in slim Moleskin books that will stand the test of time, unlike the small wire-bound notepads I’ve used for many years, the notepads where the ink is blurring thanks to the humidity in my house. And then there are my 3×5″ index cards. Whenever I have an idea, I jot it down on one and toss it into a box I call the idea box. Which gave me an idea.

I was at the library, doing a little research, and it struck me there are no longer any card catalogs. Those hulking things used to take up some serious real estate in the library foyer, and now there are a few kiosks with computers for the online catalog … and the traditional old scraps of paper to write your finds on. True, digitizing everything takes up less space. But in a pinch, when you’re looking for someone’s business card, or the security code for your wireless network, or those little cards that they give you for the next doctor’s appointment, they’re not something you want to take the time to put in your computer. And worse, what if the computer crashes, as has happened to me twice this year?

So I went to a local office supply store, looking for something that was bigger than an index card box and smaller than a card catalog. And I found it. It’s an index card file, long enough to hold 1,000 of the 3×5 index cards, and small enough to slip on a shelf. It looks very much like a drawer from a card catalog. I picked up some tabs as well, and started organizing. Sure, it’s a low-tech solution, but I’m finding great joy in gathering my scraps of paper, my gift cards, my prescription slips, business cards, and other small, easy to lose, paper ephemera all in one place.

As for the idea box? It’s headed here, too. Maybe I’ll actually USE my ideas if I can find them!